Labour’s gender quota: a casualty list
Most focus has been on Labour's proposed man ban, but the party's proposed gender quota is equally worthy of focus. Here's the surprising way it would have played out in the past six elections:
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Most focus has been on Labour’s proposed man ban, but the party's proposed gender quota is equally worthy of focus.
Few people disagree that we should have more women in Parliament, and a gender quota would of course achieve that. But quotas are inflexible and they mean that gender is regarded as more important than all other factors.
To illustrate why this is a pretty stupid idea, I’ve analysed what changes would have occurred to Labour’s caucus in the six MMP elections to date if they had a 50% female quota.
Of course you can argue they may have done things differently, but we can only act on the info we have. Also for several of those elections Labour would have had no male list MPs at all, so it doesn’t matter how you argue it – they would have lost every male List MP if they were required to have a 50% quota.
1996 Lose
Joe Hawke
Jonathan Hunt
Mark Gosche
Dover Samuels
1996 Gain
Helen Duncan
Verna Smith
Suzanne Sinclair
Sue Moroney
1999 Loss
Joe Hawke
Jonathan Hunt
Michael Cullen
1999 Gain
Lynne Pillay
Lili Tuioti
Brenda Lowe-Johnson
2002 Loss
Ashraf Choudary
Dave Hereora
Graham Kelly
Jonathan Hunt
Michael Cullen
2002 Gain
Moana Mackey
Lesley Soper
Carol Beaumont
Gill Boddy-Greer
Louisa Wall
2005 Loss
Dave Hereora
Russell Fairbrother
David Parker
Shane Jones
Ashraf Choudary
Rick Barker
Mita Ririnui
2005 Gain
Lesley Soper
Louisa Wall
Denise MacKenzie
Leila Boyle
Jennifer McCutcheon
Linda Hudson
Marilyn Brown
2008 Loss
Stuart Nash
Rick Barker
Ashraf Choudary
Kelvin Davis
Charles Chauvel
2008 Gain
Judith Tizard
Louisa Wall
Lesley Soper
Erin Ebborn-Gillespie
Josephine Bartley
2011 Loss
Raymond Huo
Rajen Prasad
Shane Jones
Andrew Little
Charles Chauvel
2011 Gain
Carol Beaumont
Carmel Sepuloni
Deborah Mahuta-Coyle
Steve Chadwick
Kate Sutton
I think illustrates the inflexibility and dangers of quotas. In 1996, 1999 and 2002 Labour would not have been able to give any male MPs a winnable list place. That means they would have lost Michael Cullen. Ironically, one of the MPs who would have been elected in his place is Lesley Soper. Soper is the only pro-life woman in the Labour Party, and quite hated by most Labour women. The thought that replacing Michael Cullen with Lesley Soper is a triumph for women’s rights is absurd.
Labour would also have lost David Parker, Shane Jones, Kelvin Davis and Andrew Little if they had to apply a 50% quota for previous list rankings.
Yes quotas will achieve 50% female representation. But at what cost?
Political commentator David Farrar posts at Kiwiblog.
David Farrar
Mon, 08 Jul 2013
Mon, 08 Jul 2013
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Labour’s gender quota: a casualty list
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